How do you land fully remote jobs while also protecting your privacy?

Basically the title. I have been using Upwork when they were still called oDesk years ago, and have always taken comfort in the anonymity that it offered. Now, I'm back to looking for online work because I have been laid off from my day job and I am looking for ways to have some form of income coming in. But it seems like I can't land any jobs at all because I'm not able to use my actual professional qualifications - I feel like if the employers knew about my actual work history, they'd be more willing to hire me.

So my question is: how do you guys decide to offer up your real name and real-world (offline) qualifications, work experience & certifications to draw clients? How do you protect yourself against scammers, identity thieves, and suchlike? What steps do you take to guard against delayed or no-pay clients?

TIA.